Searchers Find Wreck of Luxury Steamer Lost in Lake Michigan Over 150 Years Ago

The Lac La Belle, a 19th-century luxury steamer, sank in a Lake Michigan gale in 1872 and has now been discovered by a team of shipwreck hunters.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Searchers have discovered the wreck of the Lac La Belle, a luxury steamer that sank in a Lake Michigan gale in the late 19th century. The wreck was found by a team led by Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn, who has been searching for the ship since 1965. The Lac La Belle sank in 1872 with 53 passengers and crew on board, and its wreckage has remained undiscovered for over 150 years.

Why it matters

The discovery of the Lac La Belle wreck is significant because it sheds light on a little-known piece of Great Lakes maritime history. The Great Lakes are home to thousands of undiscovered shipwrecks, and the race is on to locate and preserve these important historical artifacts before they are destroyed by invasive species like quagga mussels.

The details

The Lac La Belle was a 217-foot luxury steamer that ran between Cleveland and Lake Superior. It sank in 1872 after taking on water during a gale on Lake Michigan. The captain ordered lifeboats lowered, but one capsized, killing eight people. The other lifeboats made it to shore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin. The wreck's exterior is now covered in quagga mussels, but the hull and oak interiors are still in good shape.

  • The Lac La Belle sank on October 13, 1872.
  • Shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn has been searching for the wreck since 1965.
  • The wreck was discovered in October 2022 by Ehorn's team.

The players

Paul Ehorn

An 80-year-old Illinois shipwreck hunter who has been searching for the Lac La Belle since 1965 and led the team that discovered the wreck in 2022.

Ross Richardson

A shipwreck hunter and author who provided Ehorn with a clue that helped him narrow down the search grid and find the Lac La Belle.

Shipwreck World

A group that works to locate shipwrecks around the globe and announced the discovery of the Lac La Belle wreck.

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What they’re saying

“It's kind of a game, like solve the puzzle. Sometimes you don't have many pieces to put the puzzle together but this one worked out and we found it right away.”

— Paul Ehorn, Shipwreck Hunter

“The information could alert searchers to another way to conduct research.”

— Ross Richardson, Shipwreck Hunter and Author

The takeaway

The discovery of the Lac La Belle wreck highlights the ongoing efforts to locate and preserve the thousands of undiscovered shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, which serve as important historical artifacts and provide insights into the region's maritime past.